1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian FAITHFULNESS | Page 7

Heaven and it is with this hope in mind that we develop an eternal perspective of what life is
all about. The Bible is so full of great examples of radical Christians who believed these truths.
LOVE – this is the big one. Radical Christianity is epitomised by an outstanding capacity to
love. To love when we are misunderstood, to love when we are maligned and to love when we
are judged unfairly,has to be the greatest sign of true Christian faith. It was Jesus who said in

John 13 v 35, “…By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.” Notice that Jesus did not say they will know you are Christians because you can
quote the Bible, or do good works, or go to church. He said they will know you are Christians
by your love. To love like Jesus loves is a tall order. To turn the other cheek when provoked, to
give your shirtwhen your coat has been asked for, and to forgive as Jesus forgave, is humanly
impossible, but for those who know and love Christ with all their heart, they will find that it is
God’s love in them that loves the unlovely through them. It is this kind of love that should be
the bench-mark for a radical Christian faith.
As much as we would consider a life filled with faith, hope and love as we have just described,
I need you to realise that this is the “normal” Christian lifestyle. We tend, humanly speaking,
to make the Christian faith far less than it really is in order to make it easier for us to achieve,
but won’t you remember at this point what we said at the beginning of our study on the Fruit
of the Spirit, that it is, humanly speaking, unattainable; but when Christ’s Spirit dwells within
us, He brings with it all the power that we will need to live this radically, normal Christian
experience. As we learn to submit ourselves more to God and depend less upon our own
ability, we will, I believe, find that the presence of Jesus in our lives is what makes all the
difference.

Prayer Thought: Today, let’s make the theme of our prayer the theme of submission, whereby
we consciously and intentionally submit our words, our thoughtsand our actions to God over
the course of the day. Talk to God conversationally today and allow His presence to encourage
you and uphold you in your endeavour to live out the radical Christian life.